The Tragedy of Perception

A comic, allegorical novel about the communication problems that drive a whole town into a frenzy of murderous activity. Something strange is happening in a town called Perception. Peter Softly, their Member of Parliament, is outraged by “impolite” behaviour and attempts to stamp it out by perpetrating vicious gardening acts in other people’s gardens. Meanwhile his wife, Sally, is convinced everyone is plotting against her; while Lily, an elderly resident, can understand no-one and feels just as persecuted. Roland, the chief constable, is enraged by the peculiar things his wife does with wallpaper but can otherwise not spot a single “criminal-looking” thing in the whole town. Primrose has abrasive encounters with everyone she meets and begins stalking Roland, determined to gain retribution for his incompetence. Meanwhile Detective Inspector Herring resorts to consulting the plots from Agatha Christie crime novels to attempt to solve the spate of baffling murders that’s terrorizing the town. And Professor Marjory Cogitation tries to solve the problem by looking for a connection between goldfish and mass murder, but appears no closer than anyone else to solving the mystery.